Essay:On Stalinism

Introduction

The term "Stalinism" is one of the most weaponized and misused labels in the political lexicon, used not only by the bourgeoisie and imperialists, but also by left-wing revisionists and Trotskyists to distort the legacy of Joseph Stalin and the revolutionary gains made under his leadership. Within Marxist-Leninist theory and practice, however, there is no such thing as "Stalinism" as a separate ideology. Stalin was not the founder of a new tendency, but a key defender of Marxism-Leninism in one of the most intense periods of class struggle in human history. But we should still critically examine both his achievements and the errors made during his leadership. Rather than accepting the anti-communist narrative, we analyze Stalin’s legacy through the lens of revolutionary practice, with the aim of drawing lessons for today’s struggle against capitalism and revisionism.

Why “Stalinism” isn't a thing

Stalinism is a term used by rightists, left anti-communists, and revisionists to refer to the stalin-era soviet union and Anti-Revisionist Marxist-Leninists.

They identify "Stalinism" with:

• Red Fascism
• Nationalism
• Bureaucracy
• The "Holodomor"
• The Red Terror

Those 5 points are often used to depict Stalin as "Anti-Communist", "Anti-Leninist" and "Totalitarian", but the myths about Stalin will be material for another work.

But is "Stalinism" a real ideology? No. Because it was never used in any theoretical work nor any government document. Marxist-Leninists do not consider Stalinism to be an ideology separate from Marxism-Leninism. Stalin's theoretical contributions, in fact, include coining the name Marxism-Leninism itself. Today, some communists call themselves “Stalinists”, like Hoxha, the Comintern(HS) and some other so called “Anti-Revisionist ML’s”, or "Hoxhaists". The term "Stalinism" is considered incorrect, and Stalin himself rejected it, preferring the label "Marxism-Leninism". Marxism-Leninism is the correct term for the Scientific Socialist theory developed by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, and no such term as “Stalinism”.

Biography of Stalin

Joseph Stalin, born Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili on December 18, 1879, in Gori, Georgia (then part of the Russian Empire), rose from modest beginnings to become one of the most powerful and controversial leaders of the 20th century. His early life was marked by hardship; his father was a cobbler who succumbed to alcoholism, and his mother, a devoutly religious woman, was determined to see her son become a priest. Stalin attended the Gori church school and later the Tiflis Theological Seminary. However, while at the seminary, Stalin's path diverged from orthodoxy. He immersed himself in radical literature, particularly the works of Karl Marx and other socialist thinkers, which led to his eventual expulsion in 1899. His political activism took shape shortly afterward. He joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) in 1898, the same year he was expelled from the seminary, marking the beginning of his revolutionary career.

In his early political life, Stalin operated largely in the Caucasus region, especially in Tiflis and Baku, where he was involved in organizing strikes, leading workers' demonstrations, and engaging in underground revolutionary activities. He proved himself adept at clandestine operations and became known for his toughness and ability to elude Tsarist authorities. He adopted the revolutionary pseudonym "Koba," inspired by a Georgian folk hero, symbolizing his self-image as a defender of the people.

Stalin aligned with the Bolshevik faction of the RSDLP following the party split in 1903. His loyalty to Lenin’s faction set him apart and facilitated his rise through the ranks. He participated in various revolutionary tasks assigned by the Bolsheviks, including fundraising (often through “expropriations” or robberies), agitation, and spreading propaganda. His activities resulted in multiple arrests and periods of exile in Siberia, though he often managed to escape.

By 1912, Stalin’s growing influence within the party earned him a seat on the Bolshevik Central Committee. That same year, he traveled to St. Petersburg (renamed Petrograd in 1914), where he helped organize the party newspaper Pravda and worked to build the Bolshevik base among urban workers. His early writings on Marxist theory and national issues, especially the controversial topic of nationalities, caught Lenin’s attention. In 1913, he authored Marxism and the National Question, advocating a centralized approach to managing the empire’s diverse ethnic groups—views that would become foundational to his later policies .

Stalin spent the World War I years mostly in exile but returned to Petrograd after the February Revolution of 1917. He resumed his role as an editor at Pravda and worked with other Bolshevik leaders, though he initially took a more moderate stance. After Lenin’s return from exile in April 1917, Stalin realigned more closely with Lenin’s radical agenda, supporting the call for “peace, land, and bread” and preparing for armed insurrection. During the October Revolution, he played a key logistical role, although he was not yet at the top of the party leadership.

Stalin's early political life, then, was defined by a blend of ideological commitment, operational skill, and a knack for survival in the revolutionary underworld. Though not yet a central public figure, his loyalty, pragmatism, and organizational acumen positioned him for future prominence within the Bolshevik hierarchy, ultimately setting the stage for his later rise to supreme power.

Achievements

Stalin's leadership marked a significant transformation in the Soviet Union. He was responsible for the rapid industrialization of the USSR through a series of Five-Year Plans, turning it from a largely agrarian economy into one of the world's leading industrial powers. Under Stalin’s direction, socialist construction was greatly advanced, and nationalized industries were developed. One of his most significant achievements was leading the Soviet Union during the Second World War, where the USSR played a crucial role in defeating Nazi Germany. Post-war, the USSR emerged as one of the two superpowers, rivaling the United States. Stalin also played a leading role in the international communist movement and provided support to revolutionary movements in other parts of the world.

Stalin also made great contributions to Marxist-Leninist theory. With classics like Foundations of Leninism, Concerning questions of Leninism, Marxism and the national question, and economic problems of socialism in the ussr.

“Stalin has further developed Marxism-Leninism through many invaluable theoretical accomplishments. His principal contributions to Marxian theory lie in indicating the path of the actual building of socialism in the U.S.S.R. Thus, his powerful polemics against Trotsky, Zinoviev, Bukharin and their counterrevolutionary affiliates comprised the greatest ideological struggle of our times. They clarified every aspect of the vast and unique problem of building socialism in one country, and surveyed the whole position of international capitalism. They resulted in a decisive victory for the leadership of the Communist Party and, thereby, of socialism.”

-Lenin and Stalin as Mass Leaders, by William Z. Foster

“Stalin's whole life was characterized by an unceasing fierce struggle against Russian capitalism, against world capitalism, against imperialism and against the anti-Marxist and anti-Leninist currents and trends which had placed themselves in the service of world reaction and capital. Beside Lenin and under his leadership, he was one of the inspirers and leaders of the Great October Socialist Revolution, an unflinching militant of the Bolshevik Party.

After the death of Lenin, for 30 years on end, Stalin led the struggle for the triumph and defence of socialism in the Soviet Union. That is why there is great love and respect for Stalin and loyalty to him and his work in the hearts of the proletariat and the peoples of the world. That is also why the capitalist bourgeoisie and world reaction display never-ending hostility towards this loyal discipline and outstanding, resolute co-fighter of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

Stalin earned his place among the great classics of Marxism-Leninism with his stern and principled struggle for the defence, consistent implementation and further development of the ideas of Marx, Engels and Lenin. With his keen mind and special ability, he was able to find his bearings even in the most difficult times, when the bourgeoisie and reaction were doing everything in their power to hinder the triumph of the Great October Socialist Revolution.”

-With Stalin, by Enver Hoxha

Critique

Despite his significant contributions, Stalin and his government is also marked by serious mistakes and harsh criticisms. The document “Marxism-Leninism-Maoism Basic Course” by the CPI(Maoist), criticizes Stalin for "mechanically transplanting the Soviet model of revolution" to other countries without adapting it to local conditions, which often led to setbacks in various revolutionary movements. Furthermore, his period of rule included severe repression, purges, and bureaucratic centralism, which created significant obstacles for socialism and led to alienation among sections of the working class and peasantry. These negative aspects of Stalin's policies are acknowledged as important lessons for future revolutionary struggles.

“It is true that Enver Hoxha, with the negative example of the Soviet Union in mind, had seen this danger, warned against it and taken measures against it; he had aptly explained about the development in the Soviet Union: "The party was afflicted with heavy rust, with political apathy; the erroneous opinion spread that only the head, the leadership, had to work and solve everything. This view led to the fact that everywhere and in everything it was said: 'The leadership already knows', 'The Central Committee is not mistaken', 'That's what Stalin said, and that's it', and so on. Stalin may not have said much of this, but they hid behind his name. The apparatuses and the party and state officials became ‘omnipotent’, ‘infallible’, they acted bureaucratically, invoking democratic centralism, Bolshevik criticism and self-criticism, which in reality was no longer Bolshevik. Undoubtedly, the Bolshevik Party thus lost its former vitality.”

-The Revisionist Alia & Co. - Enemies of the Albanian people, by Roter Morgan

From a MArxist-Leninist potision, Stalins main mistakes can be summoned into these points:

• Over Reliance on the state security apparatus instead of mobilizing the masses.

• Excessive repression during the purges, including unjust persecutions.

• Bureaucratic-centralist leadership methods that weakened workers’ participation.

• Not enough ideological struggle against petty-bourgeois tendencies.

• Insufficient democratic inner-party debate and self-criticism.

• Failure to address the roots of bureaucratism and privilege formation.

• Reversal of some progressive policies that violated the autonomy of women.

• He also underestimated the ongoing class struggle under socialism, which led to excessive bureaucratic centralization. This concentration of power weakened democratic participation and created a rigid hierarchy, ultimately hindering the development of a truly proletarian state.

The end of Stalin

In the 1950s, Stalin was developing policies intended to expand Soviet democracy and excise bureaucratic elements from the Party, but he died before he could implement those changes. Some say he died from natural causes, but there are plenty of sources that it was an assassination, as a result of a conspiracy by revisionist elements led by Nikita Khrushchev, who had managed to reduce his number of bodyguards and other security measures during the previous days.

After Stalin's death, revisionists would seize control of the Soviet government and later enact reactionary policies of "de-Stalinization" by 1956. Which resulted in capitalism being restored and the proletarian dictatorship dismantled. Khrecheves secret speech gave way for international revisionism, and the so-called “modern revisionism”. After the secret speech, trotskyite movements grew, those who defended Stalin were kicked out of the communist parties, and the eastern block turned towards capitalism and social-imperialism.

Conclusion

Joseph Stalin remains one of the most significant and misunderstood figures in the history of socialism. His leadership guided the Soviet Union through immense challenges—civil war, economic collapse, imperialist invasion—and achieved historic victories such as industrialization, collectivization, and the defeat of fascism. His theoretical contributions further deepened the science of Marxism-Leninism and provided guidance for building socialism in practice.

At the same time, the Stalin era also saw serious errors: bureaucratic excesses, insufficient ideological struggle, and a failure to adequately mobilize the masses against the emergence of revisionism. These mistakes had long-term consequences, contributing to the restoration of capitalism after his death.

As Marxist-Leninists, our critique of Stalin’s errors is not rooted in moralism, but in the need for scientific analysis to strengthen the revolutionary movement. Only by studying both the triumphs and contradictions of past socialist construction can we prepare the proletariat for future victories. Defending Stalin’s legacy against lies and distortions does not mean dogmatic worship, but principled evaluation in service of proletarian revolution. His work remains an essential foundation for all those committed to the cause of communism today.